Back in January I lost my mind and attended both the TNNA show (the trade show for yarn, needlepoint and cross stitch, and related products) and CHA (the trade show for all things crafty and big box yarns) in California on the same weekend. Fueled almost exclusively by In and Out burgers and adrenaline I drove up and down Route 5 and saw all the people I could see and test drove all the products I could lay my hands on.
I was fascinated by all of the paints and dyes I saw at CHA and was on the lookout for ways to color my crochet and knitting, Â but get an end result that wasn’t stiff – that would enable my textile to retain at least most of the drape it began with! I found my wish with Design Master Tint It. It’s an aerosol dye that gives a saturated color, but doesn’t make the resulting fabric stiff as a board.
Here is the pillow I created – I hope you like it!
It all started with some white yarn…[/caption]
Materials:
3 skeins Lily Sugar’n Cream yarn in #00001 White
Crochet hook size H/8/5.50 mm or size needed to obtain gauge
14″ Home Elegance pillow form
1 can Design Master Tint It in Jade
1 Loops and Threads fat quarter
Coordinating thread
Sewing machine
Hand sewing needle
3 stick on Velcro tabs
Tapestry needle
Gauge: 12 sts X 7 rows = 4″ (10 cm) in LDC
Pillow Front:
Ch 44.
Row 1: Linked double crochet (LDC) in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across. Ch 3, turn. 42 ldc
Row 2: LDC in each LDC across. Ch 3, turn.
Rep Row 2 for pattern until work measures 14″ from foundation ch. End off.
I took the finished front outside, laid it on some cardboard to save my porch floor, and sprayed with the Tint It. I layered the color so the finished piece had a strong diagonal feel to it, going from dark in one corner to just barely sprayed at the other.
Once the front is fully dry, work the edging as follows:
Rnd 1: Join yarn in any st, sc around, placing 3 sc in each corner. Join rnd with sl st in first sc. Ch 3, do not turn.
Rnd 2: Dc in each sc around, placing 5 dc in each corner. Join rnd with sl st in top of beg-ch. Ch 1, do not turn.
Rnd 3: Sc in each dc around, placing 3 sc in each corner. Join rnd with sl st in first sc. Ch 1, do not turn.
Rnd 4: Crab st in each sc around. Join rnd with sl st in first crab stitch. End off.
Weave in all ends.
Back:
Cut two pieces from the fat quarter, each measuring 15″ wide X 9″ tall.
Make a 1″ hem across one 15″ side on each piece. NOTE I had to fiddle a little bit to make sure the print would align – make sure you are happy with the alignment before you cut!
Overlap one hemmed edge 1″ over the other hemmed edged, topstitch into place in the side seam allowance.
Press under 1/2″ seam allowance on all four sides.
Pin the fabric back to the crocheted front, and hand sew into place.
Place Velcro tabs evenly spaced across to hold the overlap in place.
Insert pillow form through the overlap, and Velcro the overlap closed.
One of the things I like about using the Tint It instead of simply using colored yarn, is that the dye lays more heavily on the top of the stitch than in the furrows, which really accentuates the density and texture of the stitches. I can also stitch away without worrying about yarn colors pooling or not laying exactly the way I want them to, because the color is added after. I can see trying this with a stencil too!
Thanks for stopping by – MBT